Losing It!

J'♥ Québec!

2010-02-03T02:32:13Z

Well, we're home. Sorry I haven't posted more or sooner, but our time in Québec was so busy I hardly had a chance. And then it was 12 hours of travel (kill me now) and I finally find myself with a few moments to check in again. So: we had a terrific time in Québec City, thanks to our remarkable hosts Paule and Sylvain with Québec City Tourism and Patrick with Carnaval de Québec. We were treated to all the best Québec has to offer, from fine dining to amazing local venues, to front-row seats at all the Carnival attractions.

Québec City will go down in my memory as one of the best places our family has ever visited (and that's actually saying quite a lot).

Visit The Urban Traveler for a photo retrospective of one of the best family vacations ever and click here to read my Travel Review:

We're Locked In!!!

2010-01-29T03:47:48Z

Well, the day started at 3:45 a.m. for us today and ended up with my kids locked in the bathroom 4,000 km from home. In between we rode a jet, a turbo-prop (god, I hate those planes) and a van emblazoned with Bonhommes, driven by the very gentil Michel. Yup, we're a travellin' family.

You know you're in an airport when you pay $9 for a sandwich, can't get the WiFi connection to work and can't find a women's washroom. ***SIGH***

But I still wouldn't trade it for a regular day at home!

Suffice it to say, we arrived in Québec City without major incident, were greeted by this lovely gentleman

and got a sweet swag bag upon arrival at the hotel

I had a lovely dinner with Paule from Québec City Tourism and fellow blogger Stephanie from Florida. She'd never seen snow before...that was fun to witness!

Stay tuned for more updates from Carnaval de Québec over the next three days.

À Bientôt, Bonhomme!

2010-01-28T02:56:21Z

Yup! My family and I are going to Carnaval de Québec in (where else) Québec City this week!

Thanks to the folks at Québec City Tourism and Carnaval de Québec, we're going to visit Bonhomme in his ice castle. I'll be posting here, on Facebook and on Twitter over the next five days as we take our journey from (freezing) Alberta to (freezing) Québec City.

Top Ten Reasons Why YOU MUST SEE AVATAR RIGHT NOW

2010-01-25T15:57:59Z

10. It's awesome

9. It's awesome

8. It's awesome...

Okay, but seriously: this movie is awesome, and if you're like I was (until Saturday afternoon) and you haven't gotten around to seeing it yet, then what are you waiting for? GO OUT AND SEE AVATAR. NOW. SERIOUSLY! It's just that good.

It's not very often that I see a movie and then want to just walk right back in and see it again, but Avatar was one of those. And if it wasn't for having my kids with me, I think I would have done just that. Honestly: I loved it that much. But what's so special about it? Well, here's my very own (seriously now) top ten reasons why I think you should go out and buy a ticket to see Avatar right now:

10. The 3D effects. Yes, that's right: I'm not putting the 3D effects at the top of my list. Now, don't get me wrong...the 3D is great in this film, and it greatly enhances the action, but I don't think it's the most stand-out thing about it. Plus, we've all gotten kind of used to 3D by now, haven't we? It's a bit like CG was when it first came out...we were all completely gobsmacked by it, and it just gets better and better in each film, until it ceases to be an in-your-face effect and evolves into a more subtle element that enhances the reality of the overall experience. So it is in Avatar.

9. The World. Pandora: the geniuses at Weta (creators of the computer generated animation that won Oscars for Lord of the Rings) have created an unbelievably beautiful and entirely believable world in Pandora (the alien world where the film is set). One of my favourite touches are the bioluminescent mosses that light up when stepped on, but the entire world is beautiful.

8. The Na'vi (the race indigenous to Pandora). I loved the Na'vi...incredibly integrated with their environment, remarkably tall, slender and blue. Those big, round amber eyes. Beautiful to look at, and such nice cultural details. Their customary greeting "I see you" means not just "I see you with my eyes", but "I see within you, and recognize you as one of the people." They live in a tree called, simply "hometree"...don't ask me why, but I just loved to hear them say "hometree" in this movie. Somehow it just felt right.

7. The Soundtrack (and by soundtrack I mean James Horner's beautiful and evocative score, not the theme song "I See You" by Leona Lewis). Haunting and beautiful, it resonates with lilting pan pipes, birdsong and eerie melody in parts and pounds with tribal drums in others. To me the musical score ranks higher in terms of "effects" than the 3D or CG elements do. The auditory environment of this film is utterly immersive and perfectly supports the visual environment.

6. The Relationship. Yes, it's a bit cliché; yes it's a bit Pocahontas & John Smith, but I wanted Ney'tiri & Jake Sully to succeed nonetheless. Hey...formulas work (that's why they become formulas!) and this one is a success in my book.

5. The "Shero". Trudy Chacone, played by Michelle Rodriguez is the ultimate tough girl herione. While not the main female character, Trudy is a tough girl with a heart of gold. You can't help but love her, and oh yeah, she TOTALLY saves the day and kicks ass. It's not a major role, but with James Cameron at the helm and Sigourney Weaver in the cast, you can't help but compare Trudy to Ripley in Alien(s). She also delivers one of the most fun (and Ripley-worthy) lines in the film, "you ain't the only one with a gun, bitch!"

4. The Antihero. A very accomplished film and stage actor, Stephen Lang delivers an absolutely unrelenting performance as Col. Miles Quaritch, ex-marine and now Blackwater-style head of security for the mining company on Pandora. It's a role that could so easily be overplayed, especially at the climax of the film when Quaritch says, "nothing's over 'till I stop breathing" (in a scene that was hugely evocative of the battle of the Ewoks vs. Imperial Stormtroopers), and yet Lang manages to pull it off with finesse. You hate him, but you also kind of admire his (greatly) misplaced bravery and loyalty.

3. The Deus Ex Machina. Well, maybe we'd better call it a Mater Maxima Ex Machina, but you gotta hand it to the Great Mother for pulling it off. And to quote a different movie altogether, "that's all I'm gonna say about that." You'll understand when you see the movie.

2. The Message/s. I hate to reduce a film of such epic proportions to the level of social commentary, but this film definitely has some strong messages for us to take away. "The strong prey on the weak, and nobody does a thing," says Sully at the turning point in the trailer, and it's true. The human/corporate exploitation of Pandora and their treatment of the Na'vi - "those savages" - reminds us of so much of human history...the European settlement of the Americas, modern-day Iraq and Afghanistan; the exploitation of weaker cultures by more technologically advanced ones for the sake of rich natural resources has been going on for, well, all of human history it seems. Still doesn't make it right, does it? And speaking of exploitation and natural resources, there's a strong environmental message in Avatar as well. While the web of life may not be as explicitly interconnected on earth as it is on Pandora, it is every bit as delicate and beautiful. Ditto to the remarks about the entirety of human history and that not making the exploitation right.

1. The Imaginative Genius. James Cameron apparently conceived of the idea of Avatar 15 years ago, but was only able to bring his vision to live thanks to technological advances in the field of cinematography in the last five years. Well, Avatar will certainly take its place at the head of Cameron's legacy. This film is every bit as high-tech and sci-fi as Aliens, every bit as action-packed as Terminator, and every bit as epic and romantic as Titanic.

Okay, so what are you waiting for? GO SEE AVATAR NOW. NOW!

Amazing Olympic Memories: the Photo Blog Entry

2010-01-22T01:39:11Z

Yesterday two friends and I took our six (collectively) kids out of school for the morning so we could attend the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay celebrations at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park (site of many of the events at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in this city).

Here are some visual memories of the event:

(I said the memories were amazing, not necessarily the pictures!)

Hoping these are memories my kids will hold close forever.

Creativity and an Epson Artisan 810 Printer Giveaway!

2010-01-18T18:31:30Z

I love to be creative. Whether it's home decorating (at which I am still, admittedly a rank beginner), knitting, photography (again, I'm a complete neophyte), scrapbooking, card making or even just doodling while on the phone, I love to just make pretty things!

Recently I've started to appreciate just how much technology can help me satisfy my creative urge: I've made some really fun projects using iMovie on my Mac, I've had hours of fun goofing around with Photoshop and I'm getting ready to try my hand at digital scrapbooking, too. But I've also discovered that one of the key elements required for good results with digital crafting is an excellent printer.

Being a Mac user for the last decade has forced me to address the printer angle from a different perspective. Things have changed now, but ten years ago (when I got my first iMac)

you couldn't just walk into Staples or Future Shop and buy any old printer...many of them just wouldn't work with Mac's operating system. I found this out the hard way when I bought a fancy HP 3 in 1, brought it home, unpacked it, hooked it up and...nothing. FINALLY, after hours of "troubleshooting" with HP customer service, I called the Mac help line, only to be told that HP didn't support Mac's OS! ARRRGGH. At that time, I was strongly encouraged to purchase an Epson printer, because they were well-known for being not only a superior product, but also for being Mac-friendly. So I did it, and I've never looked back. For the last 10 years I've owned a series of three Epson printers, which is a pretty good track record when it comes to printers (and the amount of use I put them through!).

That's why I'm thrilled to be able to offer the opportunity for one lucky urbanmoms.ca member to win an Epson Artisan 810 printer!

And in the interests of being completely upfront and honest, I am totally jealous here. This is a sweet printer loaded with features, and using the included software, you can create some amazing projects using it.

Here's some information from Epson about the Artisan 810 from Epson:

Unleash your creativity with the Artisan® 810, a sleek, high-performance all-in-one that powers through Ultra Hi-Definition 4"x6" photos in as fast as 10 seconds. Designed to keep up with your busy life, the Automatic Document Feeder allows you to quickly copy, fax and scan stacks of documents, while automatic two-sided printing saves up to 50 percent of paper supplies. In addition, printing, scanning and accessing memory card slots from any room in the house is simple with built-in Wi-Fi® and Ethernet networking. The smart 7.8-inch touch panel also allows you to view, edit and restore faded photos or print CDs and DVDs without a computer. Offering a range of innovative features for creating one-of-a-kind projects like colouring book pages and note paper using your own photos, as well as the option to print directly from an Apple® iPhone, this versatile Artisan 810 is all you need for your everyday printing needs.

There's lots more great info at epson.ca, too!

To win the printer, tell me about what you do to satisfy your creative impulses...are you a crafter? A painter? A carpenter? Maybe you love to bake fancy cookies? Whatever it is that you do to fulfill that need to be creative, share your story below and you'll be eligible to win this beautiful printer. A winner will be chosen at random on January 25, 2010. Remember, you need to be an urbanmoms.ca member to win. Not a member? Why not join now? It's easy and free.

Growing Up Too Fast?

2010-01-13T04:41:12Z

I recently took part in a program sponsored by LeapFrog on my other blog, this is kat, wherein I hosted a party for my daughters and a group of their friends, where they all played with LeapFrog toys. LeapFrog then sent me a bunch of brand-new toys to donate to the charity of my choice (my daughters and I chose the Calgary Women's Shelter).

While writing about the toys (which were, incidentally, excellent) I commented several times that my daughters seemed to have outgrown certain types of toys and characters, in particular: Princesses. My youngest is only six, but she (and all her girlfriends, too) definitely see Princesses as being "babyish" or "for little girls". I know that the Princess brand is marketed very strongly at the preschool girl set, but there is still a lot of Princess-y stuff out there targeted to school-aged girls - take, for example, the Princess game cartridge for the Leapster 2 that my daughter and her pals tested: it's recommended for "ages 4-7".

Here's a taste of what appeals to my six year-old daughter:

(yes, that specific pink guitar...no, she doesn't know how to play guitar)

Clothes. H&M, preferably (thank goodness, because you can't argue with those prices).

So...what's the deal? Should my six year-old still be obsessed with Jasmine and Aurora and Belle? Is she watching too much YTV and not enough Treehouse? What do you think?

I'll sign off with this picture of her in June on her sixth birthday, in her full Hannah Montana costume, including hairpiece and guitar:

And yes, she tells me she's "not exactly that into" Hannah Montana anymore. *SIGH*

Growing up too fast?

Mommy, I Don't Feel Well and a GIVEAWAY

2010-01-05T17:40:39Z

I think all parents cringe on some level when we hear that infamous phrase:

"I don't feel well"

Don't we? Maybe it's because you can tell your little one is sick, and you just want to make them feel better. Or maybe it's because you know they're not sick, and you just want to get them off to school with the least amount of fuss! Possibly you're just not sure, and you're weighing the options in your mind...give them a dose of cough syrup and push them out the door or keep them home just in case? Any way you slice it, kids and colds go together, and that spells trouble for parents.

Take my daughters, for instance. I could tell my oldest was sick on the last day of school before the Christmas holiday. But I gave her some Motrin and sent her on her way...neither one of us wanted her to miss the fun-filled last day of school before Christmas, and hey, it was only a half-day anyway. Over the next few days, both my little girls were pretty sick. Fevers rose and fell, coughs came and went, headaches, earaches and sore throats were mentioned. And through it all, runny noses prevailed. Figuring it was "just a cold", I peppered them with acetaminophen and ibuprofen (bye-bye fever and pain), decongestants (so long stuffy noses) and good old-fashioned Mommy remedies (hot drinks, hugs and kisses, chickensoup and sleep).

We made it to Christmas pretty-much intact, with only a lethargic evening and two very chapped noses. But when they were feeling even worse on Boxing Day, we decided it was time for a trip to the doctor. Thankfully we did, because his first words upon examining my older daughter were, "it's a good thing you brought her in: she's a very sick little girl". Phew!

In the end, after several throat swabs and a lot of poking, peeking and listening, we had the diagnoses: our nine-year old had strep throat (confirmed the next day), infective sinusitis and an inner-ear infection. The six-year old got off a touch easier with no strep or sinus infection, but she did share her sister's ear infection and also had a nasty eye infection to boot!

Now, over a week later and the antibiotics have done their job and both girls are mostly better, except for a lingering cough and ongoing nasal congestion. But that seems to be part of the regular landscape for children in winter, doesn't it? Still, I'd rather they were able to stay a bit more healthy, and not spread the germs between themselves so much. We've started a daily routine of wiping down the high-touch surfaces in our home with antibacterial wipes, as well as reinforcing handwashing and other habits. I'm also carrying wipes and hand sanitizers in my purse and car, so that when we don't have soap and water, we can still clean those germy little hands!

But still: kids are kids, right? They tend to forget basic hygiene habits like frequent handwashing and sneezing or coughing into their sleeves (or they do a shoddy job of it). Aha: but we've had over two weeks of being home with both kids, and with both kids being sick. That's a lot of time to reinforce good hygiene habits! Here are some tips from Wet Ones® that I received before the holidays, and that I have spent the last two weeks reinforcing with my kids:

Washing hands with soap and water is the single most effective way to kill germs and keep hands clean. If there is no soap and water available, give hands a good scrub with Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes: keep some in the kitchen, diaper bag, car and lunch boxes so that you're never without them when germs strike. They kill germs and wipe away messes all with one easy wipe.
Groups of kids are prone to spreading germs. Help prevent germs from spreading by wiping down toys after play dates, using hard surface disinfectant wipes meant for cleaning commonly touched areas in your home.
Bring Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes to the kid's soccer game, horseback riding lesson or drama class and pass them around - the other parents will thank you!
Use Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes on yourself and the kids when you finish grocery shopping- few things are more germ-ridden than a shopping cart handle!

Based on laboratory microbiological testing, Wet Ones® Anti-bacterial Wipes are effective at killing germs, but they also clean away dirt and messes, and won't dry out skin like alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Use WetOnes® Antibacterial Wipes before snack time or other meals, after play dates, and when leaving public areas such as malls or sporting events.

And in the spirit of spreading healthy hygiene habits instead of germs this winter, I'm thrilled to be able to offer FIVE amazing Wet Ones® giveaway packages to lucky urbanmoms.ca members! The packages consist of a range of products from the Wet Ones® line, including both containers and travel sizes.

To win one of the five amazing Wet Ones® gift packs, all you have to do is enter a comment below with your best sick kid story: did you ignore the itching and send your kid to school with chicken pox? (my Mom did!) Did you catch your child holding the thermometer to the light bulb? There are lots of funny, poignant and educational tales to be told about our kids and the germs they fight...let's share them!

Five winners will be chosen at random from all eligible entries on Tuesday, January 12. Remember, to be eligible to win you must be an urbanmoms.ca member. So if you're not a member, join now! It's easy and free.

Our First Christmas Without Her

2009-12-28T19:22:57Z

"The Best of the Best"

That's how my Mom described Christmas 2008 - her last Christmas.

We had our whole family together for the first time in years, celebrating togetherness in moments like this one:

And it was, you know. The best of the best.

Which left me rather nervous about this year. This first Christmas without my mom. No more huge family gatherings: I was back with my family in Calgary, my Dad was visiting my baby sister and her family in England, and Jen was off to the Dominican Republic with her family and some friends. And Mom; well, Mom would be very noticeably absent.

As it turns out, the lead-up to Christmas Day was very, very busy. There was lots of shopping and wrapping to do, loads of baking and even a few parties. And just so you know, when you're mourning, busy is good. So right up until the stockings were stuffed, I managed to keep my mind off it. And then, it hit me. This was Christmas. This was the most family-centred time of the year, and our family was missing someone. I wanted my Mom around, not even for my own sake: I wanted her to be there for her sake. I wanted her to be able to be with my Dad in England for my niece's first Christmas. So yeah. Christmas Eve was hard. I really missed my Mom. And I wanted to think that she was with us, in some small way, so I spent a good deal of time looking at pictures of last Christmas, last spring, last summer. I spent a good deal of time remembering Christmases past, Christmases with her. I also spent a good deal of time crying.

But in the morning (early!) my two little angels managed to bring the joy back to the holiday. Like kids on Christmas morning (go figure!) they were high as kites and giddy with excitement. And their enthusiasm was so effervescent the happiness bubbled over and I was able to enjoy the morning.

By afternoon we headed over to friends' for dinner (so nice not to cook the turkey myself!) and in the end, I can honestly say that I not only survived the first Christmas without my Mom, but I actually had a nice day. And I know that's just how my Mom would've wanted it.

Top Five Holiday Movies

2009-12-22T04:32:32Z

It's that time of year again, where families spend time in front of a crackling fire, watching their favourite Holiday classics on TV. Now, back when I was a kid, you eagerly scanned the TV Guide each week leading up to Christmas, circling the days when Rudolph was on, or the Grinch or Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. There are so many great classic Christmas TV shows (or "Christmas Specials" as we always used to call them) and of course they're all available on DVD now. Not that you'd need it: with the number of all-kids-programming, all-the-time networks on TV these days, you can be pretty certain that you won't miss Frosty the Snowman this year...because it'll be on forty-seven times.

Still, there's something special about just catching a favourite Christmas special or holiday movie when it just happens to be on TV while you're channel surfing, and for some reason it just feels more -- I don't know: fun? spontaneous? to watch it "live on TV" instead of on DVD (perhaps because it's more nostalgic that way?). Anyway. I have a list of five movies that I love to watch every holiday season, and believe it or not, I only own one of them on DVD. And I've never watched it that way, because I always manage to find it one snowy Sunday afternoon in December while I'm busy baking shortbread or addressing cards.

So here are my top five favourite flicks to watch over the holidays (even though two of them have nothing to do with the holidays, and in no particular order):

White Christmas

Holiday Inn

The Sound of Music

A Christmas Carol (Alistair Sim)

The Wizard of Oz

How about you? What are your faves?

Oh: and by the way, if you haven't seen it yet, you MUST, MUST, MUST go see Disney's Christmas Carol (starring Jim Carrey). It is brilliant. And you'll want to see it in 3D, too. I never thought I'd see an adaptation of Dickens' classic Christmas story that I appreciated more than the Alistair Sim version (see above), but this one comes as close as anything ever could. It might (might) just be as good.

Moving Up...Moving On?

2009-12-14T23:56:37Z

So my oldest daughter is in grade 4 at our local community school (so local I can see it from my kitchen window!) It's a fabulous school - FABULOUS - but it's time for her to move on, because the school only goes to grade 4. There are a few options to consider at this point:

She can move on to her designated school, which is in one of the neighbouring communities and accepts students from grades 5-9. There is bussing from stops very close to our home and most of her cohort will attend.
She can attend what used to be (until last year) the designated school for our community, also in a neighbouring community, accepting students from K-6. Then of course the question of where to go in grade 7 comes up. Several of her friends will be attending this school.

Those are the two obvious options, but one of the teachers at school recently suggested we should consider an arts-based education program for her next year. This seemed like an excellent choice for our daughter; this girl whose favourite after-school activities are drama and art. So we've been looking into the options for art-based education here in Calgary. And the truth is, it's pretty slim pickings, as far as I can tell.

The Calgary Board of Education has three arts-based education schools. One is a high school only (grades 10-12 here in Alberta), one is a junior high (grades 7-9) and one is actually perfect - it's a middle school (grades 5-9). The problem? It's in the absolute farthest corner of the city from where we live and there's no bussing to our area - there's no bussing, in fact, to anywhere even remotely near our area.

Then there's a charter school (which, for you non-Albertans, is kind-of like a private school, but in the public system, with public funding) which has arts-based education, but it is also quite far away and also doesn't have adequate bussing. They do come up to our quadrant of the city (the northwest), but not even into our community. Which begs the question: why have a school bus when parents have to drive their kids to the bus stop?

Then there's the third option. It's an arts-based school, for kids from grades 4-6, it's closer to our house and they have a bus that comes to the end of our street. It sounds like a great option, doesn't it? There's just one catch: it's a catholic school. And we're not. Which isn't, necessarily, a deal-breaker as it turns out. Seems that this school will accept non-catholic students if there's space for them. I spoke to a school representative and she told me they've had a number of non-catholic students before, and in fact she was very encouraging.

So, we're going to go and tour the schools with an open mind, and we'll see which one we think might be the best fit for our daughter. She will have to apply/audition for a space, which will of course be an important factor.

But assuming she is accepted at the two schools, I'd rather she attend the Catholic one, mostly because of the much improved transportation, and because it has an excellent reputation. So then our real question will be: how do we feel about sending our child to a catholic school? We are neither a catholic nor even a religious family. If she attends this catholic school, our daughter will be required to attend religion classes with the rest of her classmates. Which is fine: I've always been of the opinion that more information about any topic (but especially religion) is better. She will have to make up her own mind about the important issues, and I'm not opposed in any way to her learning about all world religions. If she starts that journey of learning through grade five religion class, well that's fine. The other piece, though, is that the rest of the students will have been taking religion already since Kindergarten. They'll have memorized things like catechisms and Hail Marys and Paternosters (without: "for thine is the the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, amen" as I learned it it Protestant Sunday School) and my daughter won't. Will she be lost? Will she feel stupid? Will she be teased for not being catholic?

As I said, we'll look into all our options with open minds, but what do you think? What would you do in our shoes? Have you experienced something similar with your children?

Losses

2009-12-11T20:32:16Z

A few months ago, I wrote a post about my desire to help out a dear friend whose husband was fighting brain cancer. On Wednesday, I attended a prayer service in his memory.

I went to the service to support my friend, but also to say goodbye on my own account. You see, over the five short years I've been friends with their family, I had come to like, admire and respect my friend's husband. I like to think we'd even begun to become friends on our own account. We'd sat and cheered on our children's soccer games, chatting about literature, politics or history in between plays. We'd noted the special bond between his youngest son and my youngest daughter, "aaahhing" over their cute antics. We'd shared family meals, glasses of wine and conversation.

Having been through this terrible cancer journey with my mother only recently, I could relate in some way to the emotions his family were experiencing on Wednesday. My friend; strong for her children's sake, thanking all the guests, still in a state of dazed unreality. You go through the motions, you do what you need to do, but you can't quite reconcile exactly why you're doing it. It just doesn't seem possible that you're formally mourning the loss of someone who was such an integral part of your life...if you stop to think about it, you feel like reality has shifted and that you've somehow become out of step with the rest of the universe. I know that feeling.

And of course I was keenly reminded of my own loss during the service. I thought often of my mother, and what a profound effect her illness and death have had on my life. The death of a loved one sends ripples of loss through not only the family, but outwards to friends, colleagues and community. On Wednesday evening I witnessed that loss ripple outwards with my own eyes. During a moving slideshow of photographs, my friend's young son leaned into his mother's arms and began to sob. His sorrow was so palpable, you could see it move through the room, as table after table of guests gave into their own grief with flowing tears, shaking shoulders and shuddering breaths.

CLOSED: Induction Cooker Giveaway

2009-12-08T15:57:53Z

Here's a photo of the kitchen in my sister's beautiful new home near London, England complete with an unbelievably cool device: the induction cooktop:

And when I say cool, I really mean it! Unlike traditional cooktops (that's stove to those of us on this side of the Atlantic) which get hot and then transfer heat to a cooking vessel (pots and pans to you and me) which transfers the heat in turn to the food, induction cookers don't actually get hot. Instead, they use an electromagnetic field to transfer energy to a magnetic cooking vessel (a stainless steel or iron pot). The energy transfer (or induction) causes the cooking vessel to heat up. This means that the cooking surface itself doesn't get hot, making induction cookers safer than traditional burners or elements, and even the newer smooth-top electric and halogen stoves.

They're also super-easy to clean, with no crannies for stuff to get stuck in and no more burnt-on messes. Just wipe the surface with a damp cloth and it's both clean and cool. Also, because they heat up much faster, you're able to more accurately control the temperature, greatly improving the outcome of your cooking adventures. Induction cookers also use less energy than traditional stoves. The only catch is that if you own a whole raft of aluminum cookware, you're going to have to go out and replace it with stainless steel (or iron). But then again, didn't we all do that a few years ago when there was all that talk about aluminum cookware and Alzheimer disease?

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED.

But what to do if you want to enjoy the benefits of induction cookery without the large price tag that comes along with a completely new stove? Enter the Salton induction cooker. This cooker is big enough to fit one cooking vessel (I just love that term!) and does everything it's bigger cousin can do, except you don't have to renovate your kitchen (or break the bank) to get one. It even comes with a stainless steel pot and glass lid, just in case you don't have magnetic cookware, and at $89, that's a bargain.

It's a great gift idea, or you might just have to get one for yourself - you know, all that extra cooking during the holidays, it sure could come in handy. Or - you could win one! That's right, Salton has given us one induction cooker to give away to a lucky urbanmoms.ca member! Just tell us in comments below why you think you need an induction cooker, and you'll be entered to win. Please note: you must be an urbanmoms.ca member to win, so if you haven't already, you should join now. It's easy and free. This contest will end on Wednesday, December 16th at 5pm EST.

Rules and Regulations.

A Broken Silence (Part Two)

2009-11-30T07:20:35Z

It's hard, you know, to break a long-held silence. To write about the unspeakable. To challenge strongly held stigmas. It's hard to do; but it's necessary.

I'm talking about mental illness.

I'm talking about my child.

I'm speaking out because I'm just so weary of my ability as a mother being judged:

Are you sure she's not just manipulating you?
You have to set some limits here!
Who's the parent and who's the child?

I'm also weary of having her problems diminished:

All kids act out. She's fine.
It's just a stage.
It can't be that bad.

And I'm sick of being given the brush-off:

She doesn't seem upset/depressed/out of control now...
It's a red flag, certainly, but she's essentially fine.
We don't refer directly to psychiatry - you'll have to be referred to a pediatrician first. (Which, by the way, will take 6-8 months)

Most of all, I'm exhausted by my child's behaviour and the emotional toll it takes on me.
I'm nearing desperation. I want to walk into the hospital and scream: MY CHILD NEEDS HELP! I need help.

But it's different, you know. It's not an illness of the body, with symptoms manifest and sympathetic. It's a different kind of illness. It's one you can't really talk about, because people will either a) criticize your ability to parent, or b) dismiss you as overreacting to 'normal childhood behaviour'.

Well I'm here to tell you that I am not a poor parent, and my child is not normal. She is ill and she needs help. Help that is incredibly difficult to find. If you have a child who you suspect has a mental illness, you will first have to come to terms with a few unsavoury facts.

Canadian healthcare is neither free nor universal. Getting a child evaluated by a psychiatrist in Alberta can take between 12-18 months. I have had to wait 7 months to be seen first by a pediatrician, and will have to wait at least another six following that consultation, providing the pediatrician actually believes me. Many less fortunate families do not have the knowledge, tenacity or resources (time off work to attend appointments, vehicles to drive to specialist offices, etc) to pursue this course.
It's easy to get your child evaluated by a psychologist in Alberta, because this is a non-listed service (meaning you will pay for it out-of-pocket). At around $175 per hour, there is a very real possibility we will end up spending our retirement savings to pay for treatment. We've been to three different psychologists in as many years, and have been advised each time to seek a psychiatric assessment (see point 1, above).
It's very difficult to get a diagnosis. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that many kinds of mental illness (especially affective or personality disorders) cannot be diagnosed, because children's personalities are too un-formed. This is despite many solid studies showing that children may exhibit many of the behaviours common to these disorders quite early on, and early intervention can be - in some cases - life saving (this is because suicidal ideation and behaviour is a frighteningly common feature of many mental illnesses).

And for some reason, in Calgary, if your child attends Catholic school you will get better treatment. This is not a joke! I phoned a children's mental health distress line last week, and was asked which school board my daughter attends. When I said it was public the response was, "oh...that's too bad. You see, unfortunately it's a lot easier to access helpful programs if you're in the Catholic system". I don't know why this is, but I can tell you that it isn't fair and it feels like a gut-punch when you're already down.

In the end, we're in this for the long haul, and we're in it all by ourselves. I only hope that we will eventually be able to access the kind of treatment I'm sure is available -- somewhere -- and that we will be able to access it soon. I only hope that by speaking out I may help someone else, out there somewhere, who's suffering with the same challenges but doesn't know where to turn, or who's still thinking it's all her fault. And maybe, by speaking out, I'll help other parents like me see that they're not alone, and that something can be done. Let's break the silence and tear down the stigma and get our kids the help they need.

She's a Thief and a Liar, But She's Mine

2009-11-27T20:12:57Z

Yup. That's my daughter. Only six years old and already embarking on a life of crime and lies. *SIGH*

Okay, admittedly I'm being tongue-in-cheek (very), but the truth is, my younger daughter has been lying lately - a lot. It's always about stupid stuff like, "but I already brushed my teeth!" or "yup, I cleaned my room when you asked me to". But this kid could win a Darwin Award for her lack of criminal ingenuity sometimes. For instance, she hasn't got the cunning to wet her toothbrush, or smear a little toothpaste on her tongue, so it's totally easy to find her out. Which makes me wonder if the motivation behind the prevarication isn't something other than just getting out of toothbrushing or undesirable chores. Perhaps she's just pushing the boundaries of acceptable social behaviour in a safe setting: home.

And speaking of anti-social behaviour (and this is where the thief part comes in), earlier this week the kid shoplifted a ring from a souvenir shop in Canmore, AB. Sheesh! Okay, here's the abbreviated low-down: we're browsing a souvenir shop; she spots some rings she loves; I say "no"; I say "time to go"; I press her to leave; I tell her to put the ring down and come now. We wander the main street for another hour or so, and when we're back at our condo, my older daughter tells me all about some elaborate trade deal she's made with her younger sister. At the heart of said trade was a certain ring the littler one had "found" on the ground by the hot pool.

Yeah. RIIIIIGHT.

So, long story short I quietly and privately spoke with the little one about the origins of the ring. It didn't take long before our criminal genius broke down and admitted she had taken it from the store. My first thought was to tell her that we'd have to go back to the store and she'd have to pay for it, with her own money. But I very quickly thought better of that plan when I realized that she would then still own the ring.

Hmmm...what to do?

In the end, I think I arrived at the best plan. We drove immediately back to the souvenir shop, and I explained to the clerk what had happened. She then apologized, and with some gentle coaching, told him that she knew it was wrong to steal and she'd never do it again. He very sternly told her that they normally just phone the police and let them deal with it - they don't normally accept an apology, but he would this one time. I personally thought it was a bit much, but he did wink at me on my way out, so I suppose he thought it would be wise to put the fear of God into her, so to speak.

On the drive home we debriefed and discussed how she felt, and whether she would be tempted to steal again in the future. I felt very satisfied with the outcome, and pleased with the approach I took. She was genuinely afraid and embarrassed, which I felt was a logical and natural consequence of her wrong action (stealing). On the other hand, I didn't shame or punish her - just made her take complete accountability for her actions.

But, true to form, she later asked me, "Mommy, how come you didn't tell the guy at the store that I took the ring by accident?"

My response, "well did you?" And hers, "yes. [pause, pause] No."

See? A thief and a liar. But: learning not to be, with a little help from me. And I guess that in the end, as parents, that's our job.